


Blood, Tears and Wine

by Tealheadlight



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2020-09-28 04:10:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20419688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tealheadlight/pseuds/Tealheadlight
Summary: “I don’t know how to console you, Kassandra. You should’ve gone to mater for that.."“I didn’t come to you for consolation. I came to you for understanding. You know the darkness well, so join me in wallowing in it. At least tonight"





	Blood, Tears and Wine

“It is done” he said with a sharp nod, crossing his arms as he watched the smaller man with clever, golden eyes.  
“Ah, thank you misthios! That is such wonderful news! You have no idea of how long he had been stealing my clients and—“  
“I’ve had a very long day. I’d like to get home before the storm.” Cutting the other mid-sentence, he extended his hand, palms open expecting the drachmae he was due.  
“Well, funny story, i wasn’t expecting you to finish the job so quickly and the money, well, I’d have to go home to—“  
“Pay me what you owe, or..." he growled, eyes darkening considerably with annoyance " ...you’ll find I still have energy in me to finish another job today” The man nervously started patting his pockets, visibly shrinking.   
Alexios had never been a patient man, neither as his time as Deimos, neither now. After the cult was wiped out he had been reunited with his family and had been expected to become a regular citizen. Civilized.  
But that was the problem. He had no clue of where to begin. He couldn’t stand the pity and sorrow in his mother’s eyes or the way Nikolaos reflexively touched the hilt of his sword every time he was around. Stentor kept his distance, which he was grateful for- he was infuriating, with his arrogance and spartan self-righteousness. And Kassandra... he hadn’t seen her in years. After that very awkward dinner, she left aboard the Adrestia and sailed towards the unknown. All that work to save him from the cult’s influence and, just like that, she vanished with the waves.  
He himself left months after her to shape his own path, promising Myrinne he would keep in touch and visit every once in a while, knowing full well he probably wouldn't. He tried the simple life of a farmer, attempted working as a builder... but nothing worked for him, and he decided to use his talents — fighting and killing- to follow his sister’s path and become a misthios himself.  
“Here misthios, the full amount we agreed on.” The man handed him a small, heavy leather bag, and Alexios could feel the coolness of the coins inside. Wordlessly, he turned around and left, hopping on his horse and galloping away from the small village.

The cold wind seemed to cut his face, and above him angry dark clouds rolled in the sky. With the night a storm would come, and all he wanted was to sit by the fire and rest. He could already picture the pelts: warm, soft, inviting and the cracking of the fire. Urging his horse to go faster, he sighed as the shape of his lonely house began to show amongst the trees.  
As he got closer, he suddenly stopped, smelling blood. Looking down he could see droplets of blood and heavy steps in the grass, leading towards his house. Cursing, he silently got off his horse and unsheathed his dagger, crouching towards the back door. Everyone knew he lived there, and no one was crazy enough to go near his house. He had no guests, and liked to keep it that way. As he neared the window he heard the sound of fire burning and it only angered him more.  
“ They invade my house, and they make themselves home?!” He grumbled and, with a powerful kick, the window blasted open as he jumped inside, wanting to catch the invader by surprise.  
But the surprise was his when he saw who was sitting by his fireplace. He’d recognize her anywhere, even without seeing her face.  
“ Relax Alexios, it’s only me”  
“ malaka....are you fucking trying to get killed?!”  
“Yes”  
Sheathing his dagger he neared her, and raised an eyebrow when he noticed she was covered in blood.  
“ I’d have expected you to know how to defend yourself better, not to get beaten to a bloody pulp. It must be very, very humiliating for you to come to me, your little brother, to ask for help. Because after all these years of silence what else could you possibly be here for? “ he asked, chuckling at his own dark humor, and fetched some water and a cloth, so she could tend to her wounds.  
But when he gave them to her she dismissed him, shaking her head and, for the first time, tore her eyes from the fire to his own.  
“ this blood. It isn’t mine”  
Her voice was empty and her eyes dull, and she seemed like a shadow of the Kassandra he knew.  
Sitting beside her he stared into the fire and listened as the storm began to fall, her breathing slow beside him as thunder and lightning cut the sky.  
“What happened, kassandra?” He asked quietly "you don't seem like yourself. Last I remember you were so full of..." he moved his hands, looking for the right word to use. ".. vitality. Now, you look like you're waiting for Hades to claim you"   
she sighed, answering him in an equally quiet tone:  
“I have nothing left. Nothing but this goddamned staff, who just won’t let me die. I’ve tried jumping off a cliff, but i just lay there broken for hours as it heals my body. Drowning doesn’t work either. Neither does a sword to the heart. All i have is pain, but i just never fucking die”  
Alexios was completely taken aback, and, breathing deeply, stood up and reached for the pitcher. This was no conversation to be had sober. After taking a swig he offered it to his sister, who reached for it gratefully and laughed bitterly before drinking herself.  
“ At least there’s wine” she breathed sadly, and Alexios sat back down and waited for her to speak again. He had no idea why she was there or what she was talking about, but she seemed to be enjoying the quiet, and the momentary silence was fine by him.  
“He has golden eyes, just like yours, you know” she said after a while, puzzling him. “He reminded me of you. Even as a baby i could see he would take after his uncle.”  
“By the gods Kassandra... you have a child?”  
“I have. And i love him more than anything. But i had to give him away. They would never stop coming after him, because of me”  
“They who? What happened to you, what kind of enemies did you make?”  
“Malakes Persians” she answered, taking another swig of the wine, and Alexios vaguely thought that he would have to go into town to buy some more. “They called themselves The Order. Madmen who wanted to wipe all “tainted ones” from the earth, like me and you... ironic how two cults can be so different; one worships us, the other wants to exterminate us. I met Darius and Natakas in Makedonia, hid and fought and killed with them. The order was after them too, and they were the only ones left of their family. I thought we had killed them all. After so long, they were free. But they returned, because of me. Stayed because of me.” She smiled sadly and Alexios did nothing to stop her tale. To learn of another cult, and what his sister was involved in filled him with questions, but he bit his tounge and kept his mouth shut. Questions could be asked later.

“ We decided to settle in Dyme. An abandoned house became ours. We cleaned it, rebuilt it. Became our home. Natakas and I became involved and, when I found i was with child I foolishly thought that I could leave all the bloodshed behind. Looking back, I should have known. “  
The rain fell steadily outside Alexios' house, the smell of wet earth mixing with the burnt aroma of fire and alcohol. A cold wind entered through the window, and he got up once again to close it.   
“When Elpidios was born, Darius and Natakas were useless.” She chuckled “ it was like they had never seen blood before. I knew I should have sent for Lykaon, but I suppose it was for the best. At least I didn’t drag him into this mess”  
“I heard about Dyme” he said, looking at her as she seemed to shrink into herself “ the small town that caught fire, most of the people died. You were there?”  
She nodded sadly, and told him about how, in her attempt to save Darius, Natakas was murdered and their child taken. She told him of everything she went through to get him back and how, in the end, she chose to send him away with his Grandfather for their own safety.  
“As if that wasn’t enough, after all that i found Atlantis. I went to Elysium, and to the Underworld. I killed Cerberus and Hades was so angry” she laughed, and Alexios started wondering just how much had she had to drink. “ i found new guardians for him, and he wanted me to stay and guard one of his gates. Had to fight him to be released. then, Poseidon took me to Atlantis and named me Distakes. Can you imagine, Alexios? A Misthios as Distakes?”  
“I really cannot, Kassandra”  
“In the end, all my work to help the atlanteans was for naught, because Poseidon used me to destroy Atlantis forever. It is always ‘do this’, and ‘bring me that’ and ‘kill him for me’. And now, i am bound to the depths by this staff and I cannot even choose to die.... Hades must be overjoyed at my misfortune. I refused to stay in the underworld, now i am condemned to stay in the world of the living.”  
Alexios gently, or, as gently as he could, took the wine pitcher from her, and she suddenly got up and headed for the door. He could tell she was far from fine, and her tale her left her agitated and distraught. Before he could stop her she stepped outside and simply stood facing the angry skies as heavy rain poured over her, washing away the blood.  
“ Today i killed the last of the Persians, Alexios. I’m so, so very tired”  
Grumbling, he joined her under the rain and observed his sister as she wept, her sobs shaking her broad shoulders.

“ You lied “ he said flatly, and she turned to stare at him, puzzlement filling her sad golden eyes. “ You’re injured. So some of the blood was yours”  
She responded with a watery laugh, shaking her head. “I suppose I did lie”  
Holding her by the shoulder he led her back inside, and retrieved a dry, heavy tunic for her as she sat back down by the fire. After a few moments of silence, sighed and looked at her sadly  
“I don’t know how to console you, Kassandra. You should’ve gone to mater for that.. if you do, tell her i will come visit soon. She will throw me from Mount Tagyetos herself this time for not sending word for so long”  
“ I didn’t come to you for consolation. I came to you for understanding. You know the darkness well, so join me in wallowing in it. At least tonight"  
So he sat back down beside her and drank more wine. Tomorrow he could buy some more, ask all the questions he now had and maybe, just maybe, he would be strong enough to turn the tables and save her this time.


End file.
